Electrical connectors are well known in the art. One type of conventional electrical connector is a heat seal connector, which allows the flexible interconnection of a first electrical component to a second electrical component. Heat seal connectors typically comprise a flexible substrate formed from a polymer material such as mylar. Graphite interconnects are printed onto the heat seal connector to provide electrical coupling from the first electrical component, which is heat sealed to the interconnects at a first edge of the connector, to the second electrical component, which is heat sealed to the interconnects at a second edge of the connector.
Such a flexible interconnection is especially useful in smaller consumer devices, e.g., selective call receivers, in which space is of primary consideration, because the flexible interconnection allows the coupled electrical components to be arranged into a position in which the available space is efficiently utilized. For example, in credit card-type selective call receivers, which are extremely small, a heat seal connector is utilized to electrically couple the terminals of a liquid crystal display (LCD) to corresponding terminals of a printed circuit board. Because it is flexible, the heat seal connector can be folded such that the LCD is positioned parallel to the printed circuit board, thereby efficiently utilizing the small amount of interior space. Additionally, the heat seal connector, similar to other electrical connectors, can be utilized to translate from a larger pitch termination, e.g., the LCD terminals, to a smaller pitch termination, e.g., the printed circuit board terminals. This allows the printed circuit board terminals to be designed as small and as closely together as current design guidelines permit, thereby efficiently utilizing-the space on the printed circuit board.
A drawback, however, to the use of heat seal connectors, which are typically one-layer connectors, is the fact that a relatively large amount of area, which is dictated by the limitations of existing manufacturing equipment, is necessary to translate from a larger pitch termination to a smaller pitch termination. This large amount of area is dictated both by the limitations of existing manufacturing equipment and by the amount of bending to which the heat seal connector is exposed during manufacturing and assembly. It would be unwise, for example, to form graphite interconnects at extreme angles if the heat seal connector is to be flexed often or secured in a position which stresses the interconnects. As a result, heat seal connectors employed to electrically couple a larger pitch termination to a smaller pitch termination often include surplus connector material, the sole purpose of which is to effect the translation between the different pitches. This surplus connector material must then be accommodated by an electronic device, which, as described above, may include only a limited amount of space for components.
Thus, what is needed is an electrical connector which is flexible, yet does not require a large amount of area for translation from a larger pitched termination to a smaller pitched termination.